Itching, or pruritus, is a medical term for the unpleasant sensation in the skin that makes you want to scratch. Dogs with itchy skin will rub, bite, or lick their skin.
It's important to note that itching is not a diagnosis but a clinical sign of many infectious, parasitic, and therapeutic conditions.
It's important to note that itching is not a diagnosis but a clinical sign of many infectious, parasitic, and therapeutic conditions.
In severe cases, itching can lead to hair loss, the formation of scabs, and even bleeding sores. These signs are often the result of the dog's actions rather than a specific symptom of the underlying condition.
Any dog can develop signs of itching. However, many purebred dogs have breed predispositions to skin problems. For instance, cocker spaniels, French poodles, West Highland White terriers, and retrievers are often prone to itchy skin.
Research by the DogRisk project at the University of Helsinki has shown that feeding dogs a raw diet can reduce skin itching problems. They found that mothers and puppies provided with raw meat had fewer issues with itchy skin than those consuming processed food.
Common causes of itching in dogs include parasites, infections (bacterial or yeast), intolerance, allergies to food, mites, or external allergens.
If your dog is itchy, the most common advice from a veterinarian will involve local creams or injections. If skin parasites cause the problem, a cream may solve the issue. However, suppose the situation is due to intolerance, allergies, and yeast infections. In that case, a comprehensive approach is needed, with proper nutrition playing a pivotal role in resolving the issue.
We recommend reading our article on intolerance and allergies.
Let's explore the connection between what happens in your dog's gut and the symptoms on their skin.
Itchy Skin in Dogs and the Leaky Gut Syndrome
All autoimmune symptoms, including itchy skin, begin with gut permeability, also known as "leaky gut" syndrome.
You can read more about gut permeability in our article here.
It's nearly impossible not to face symptoms of itching if your dog has Leaky Gut Syndrome. Therefore, it's crucial to address this problem initially.
We treat your pet's health as if it were our own!
Understanding and Treating Symptoms
Symptoms are hints that something is "malfunctioning," we can use these hints from the body to address the root causes. This requires time and patience, but with a systematic and understanding approach, it won't be too burdensome.
This is not a quiz, but the correct approach, in our view, is Option 3.
Option 1 is somewhat similar to applying eczema cream.
Any dog can develop signs of itching. However, many purebred dogs have breed predispositions to skin problems. For instance, cocker spaniels, French poodles, West Highland White terriers, and retrievers are often prone to itchy skin.
Research by the DogRisk project at the University of Helsinki has shown that feeding dogs a raw diet can reduce skin itching problems. They found that mothers and puppies provided with raw meat had fewer issues with itchy skin than those consuming processed food.
Common causes of itching in dogs include parasites, infections (bacterial or yeast), intolerance, allergies to food, mites, or external allergens.
If your dog is itchy, the most common advice from a veterinarian will involve local creams or injections. If skin parasites cause the problem, a cream may solve the issue. However, suppose the situation is due to intolerance, allergies, and yeast infections. In that case, a comprehensive approach is needed, with proper nutrition playing a pivotal role in resolving the issue.
We recommend reading our article on intolerance and allergies.
Let's explore the connection between what happens in your dog's gut and the symptoms on their skin.
Itchy Skin in Dogs and the Leaky Gut Syndrome
All autoimmune symptoms, including itchy skin, begin with gut permeability, also known as "leaky gut" syndrome.
You can read more about gut permeability in our article here.
It's nearly impossible not to face symptoms of itching if your dog has Leaky Gut Syndrome. Therefore, it's crucial to address this problem initially.
We treat your pet's health as if it were our own!
Understanding and Treating Symptoms
Symptoms are hints that something is "malfunctioning," we can use these hints from the body to address the root causes. This requires time and patience, but with a systematic and understanding approach, it won't be too burdensome.
- For example, if you once found mold on your kitchen wall, you could be faced with three options:
- Paint over the mold and be surprised when it reappears.
- Eliminate the root cause and stop mold from coming back.
- Remove the root cause, prevent mold from returning, and repaint the wall.
This is not a quiz, but the correct approach, in our view, is Option 3.
Option 1 is somewhat similar to applying eczema cream.
This example illustrates how you should approach the symptoms of itching in your dog.
Skin itching in dogs is usually a reaction to a combination of stress factors rather than one specific factor. Therefore, it can be challenging to determine the exact problem, but we know that leaky gut syndrome (intestinal permeability) is an integral part of this story.
Stress means anything that can negatively affect your dog's health and ultimately lead to biological dysfunction or illness.
While this is not an exhaustive overview of the issue, below are some basic and quick ways to positively impact your dog's health.
Here are several options for addressing and relieving itching in dogs:
This means completely. Check the ingredients in everything, from regular meals and treats to shampoos and grooming products.
The skin is a vast external organ that absorbs allergens exceptionally well and visually reflects your pet's condition!
Both in dogs and humans, various grains can cause inflammatory solid processes. Usually, grains are one of the leading causes of all skin diseases. Skin itching is often just one of these diseases that deserves an official name. In this regard, it is essential not to be deceived or placated when it says "gluten-free" on the packaging. Gluten-free does not mean the absence of grain.
Several dairy products have inflammatory properties similar to grains.
Scientists claim that we lose the ability to digest milk at around four years of age. This is related to the diarrhea most people experience when consuming milk in adulthood.
Similarly, dogs have not evolved to digest milk after weaning. If you think about what other mammals consume milk beyond infancy, you'll realize that it doesn't happen in nature. They're not adapted to deal with dairy products.
Many owners feed their dogs cheese as a treat because it has such an attractive smell to dogs (their sense of smell is approximately 10,000 times better than ours), but it's detrimental to your dog's health. More details in our article: "Cheese for Dogs."
Kefir (fermented milk) is also on this list as a potential source of "good" probiotics. Although milk protein amounts are significantly reduced during fermentation, it is still inflammatory.
There are many other, more straightforward ways to provide your dog with "friendly" bacteria. So, to relieve your dog's itching, get rid of dairy products.
Lectins are inflammatory proteins found in the skin of some fruits and vegetables. This doesn't mean that vegetables are harmful; they're not. However, some of them are challenging to digest and can cause inflammation.
We want to assure you that all "Bow-Wow" products are grain and dairy-free and have a low lectin content.
We haven't seen a patient's or dog's health improve with digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes act on the surface of food particles, making them easy to absorb. All dogs have digestive enzymes, but only in limited quantities, and their amount decreases with age. You can improve your dog's health and lifespan by helping their digestion.
That's why "Bow-Wow" diets include the raw stomach, which contains enzymes that aid digestion and absorption.
Prebiotics can help the gut deal with "intruders." As we know, gut health is essential for our immune system because 80% of our immune system is in the gut. These beneficial bacteria residing in the gut also aid digestion. This is even more important if your dog has recently undergone a course of antibiotics.
Antibiotics work by attacking both "friendly" and "hostile" bacteria. While they can deal with infection in the short term, they can jeopardize your medium and long-term immunity.
Pre- and probiotics for dogs can help soothe the skin itching related to autoimmune responses.
Glycine-rich broths, such as bone broth, promote intestinal healing. So far, research shows a direct correlation between skin itching and intestinal permeability. We don't have a 100% cause-and-effect relationship yet, but there's too much data not to notice it!
The intestines are the main gateways for both food and bacteria.
The intestines can retain bacteria and any larger food molecules in a healthy state. In an affected intestine, bacteria and undigested food can enter the bloodstream.
Preparing and freezing broth for dogs - Cold Broth in a Dog's Diet
IMPORTANT! Cold broth is not the leading food, and excessive consumption can have undesirable consequences.
We are not affiliated with any company and cannot recommend a specific ointment, but veterinarians often prescribe effective treatments in 90% of cases when examining a pet.
Skin itching in dogs is usually a reaction to a combination of stress factors rather than one specific factor. Therefore, it can be challenging to determine the exact problem, but we know that leaky gut syndrome (intestinal permeability) is an integral part of this story.
Stress means anything that can negatively affect your dog's health and ultimately lead to biological dysfunction or illness.
While this is not an exhaustive overview of the issue, below are some basic and quick ways to positively impact your dog's health.
Here are several options for addressing and relieving itching in dogs:
- Make sure your dog is eating a completely grain-free diet.
This means completely. Check the ingredients in everything, from regular meals and treats to shampoos and grooming products.
The skin is a vast external organ that absorbs allergens exceptionally well and visually reflects your pet's condition!
Both in dogs and humans, various grains can cause inflammatory solid processes. Usually, grains are one of the leading causes of all skin diseases. Skin itching is often just one of these diseases that deserves an official name. In this regard, it is essential not to be deceived or placated when it says "gluten-free" on the packaging. Gluten-free does not mean the absence of grain.
- Avoid dairy products.
Several dairy products have inflammatory properties similar to grains.
Scientists claim that we lose the ability to digest milk at around four years of age. This is related to the diarrhea most people experience when consuming milk in adulthood.
Similarly, dogs have not evolved to digest milk after weaning. If you think about what other mammals consume milk beyond infancy, you'll realize that it doesn't happen in nature. They're not adapted to deal with dairy products.
Many owners feed their dogs cheese as a treat because it has such an attractive smell to dogs (their sense of smell is approximately 10,000 times better than ours), but it's detrimental to your dog's health. More details in our article: "Cheese for Dogs."
Kefir (fermented milk) is also on this list as a potential source of "good" probiotics. Although milk protein amounts are significantly reduced during fermentation, it is still inflammatory.
There are many other, more straightforward ways to provide your dog with "friendly" bacteria. So, to relieve your dog's itching, get rid of dairy products.
- Avoid lectins.
Lectins are inflammatory proteins found in the skin of some fruits and vegetables. This doesn't mean that vegetables are harmful; they're not. However, some of them are challenging to digest and can cause inflammation.
We want to assure you that all "Bow-Wow" products are grain and dairy-free and have a low lectin content.
- Improve digestion with digestive enzymes.
We haven't seen a patient's or dog's health improve with digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes act on the surface of food particles, making them easy to absorb. All dogs have digestive enzymes, but only in limited quantities, and their amount decreases with age. You can improve your dog's health and lifespan by helping their digestion.
That's why "Bow-Wow" diets include the raw stomach, which contains enzymes that aid digestion and absorption.
- Improve gut health.
Prebiotics can help the gut deal with "intruders." As we know, gut health is essential for our immune system because 80% of our immune system is in the gut. These beneficial bacteria residing in the gut also aid digestion. This is even more important if your dog has recently undergone a course of antibiotics.
Antibiotics work by attacking both "friendly" and "hostile" bacteria. While they can deal with infection in the short term, they can jeopardize your medium and long-term immunity.
Pre- and probiotics for dogs can help soothe the skin itching related to autoimmune responses.
- Use broths.
Glycine-rich broths, such as bone broth, promote intestinal healing. So far, research shows a direct correlation between skin itching and intestinal permeability. We don't have a 100% cause-and-effect relationship yet, but there's too much data not to notice it!
The intestines are the main gateways for both food and bacteria.
The intestines can retain bacteria and any larger food molecules in a healthy state. In an affected intestine, bacteria and undigested food can enter the bloodstream.
Preparing and freezing broth for dogs - Cold Broth in a Dog's Diet
IMPORTANT! Cold broth is not the leading food, and excessive consumption can have undesirable consequences.
- Try a topical ointment.
We are not affiliated with any company and cannot recommend a specific ointment, but veterinarians often prescribe effective treatments in 90% of cases when examining a pet.
CHECKLIST FOR RELIEVING ITCHING:
We hope our simple research has been helpful to you.
In summary:
Be patient if you decide to take care of your pet's health. You must understand that the proper diet and feeding results won't appear overnight. Try to follow your diet for at least 30 days, and don't hesitate to share your feedback and success stories with us.
We aim to help owners and dogs live happily!
Try our food today and help your dog stay healthy and thrive!
We hope our simple research has been helpful to you.
In summary:
- If your dog has skin itching, consider it a signal.
- First, treat leaky gut syndrome because it often eliminates the problem.
- Check the products and chemicals you use for your dog.
- Feed them nutritious hypoallergenic foods. Remember that if it says "Hypoallergenic," it doesn't necessarily mean it is.
- Apply ointment to the itching area.
Be patient if you decide to take care of your pet's health. You must understand that the proper diet and feeding results won't appear overnight. Try to follow your diet for at least 30 days, and don't hesitate to share your feedback and success stories with us.
We aim to help owners and dogs live happily!
Try our food today and help your dog stay healthy and thrive!